Event Title
In-situ water vapor and ozone measurements in Lhasa and Kunming during the Asian summer monsoon
Location
East-West Center, University of Hawai'i at Manoa (Honolulu, Hawai'i)
Start Date
18-10-2012 11:10 AM
End Date
18-10-2012 11:30 AM
Document Type
Event
Description
Asian summer monsoon (ASM) anticyclone circulation is recognized to be a significant transport pathway for water vapor and pollutants to enter the stratosphere. Observational evidence, however, is largely based on satellite retrievals. We report the first coincident in situ measurements of water vapor and ozone within the ASM anticyclone. The combined water vapor and ozone sondes were launched from Kunming in August 2009 and Lhasa in August 2010. We present the key characteristics of these measurements, and provide a comparison to similar measurements from Alajuela, Costa Rica, an equatorial location, during the Tropical Composition, Cloud and Climate Coupling (TC4) campaign in July and August 2007. Results show that the ASM anticyclone region has higher water vapor and lower ozone concentrations in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere than the TC4 observations. The results also show that the cold point tropopause in the ASM region has a higher average height and potential temperature. In situ observations therefore support satellite-based conclusions. The data also provide additional details on the vertical structure of the region in and around the anticyclone.
In-situ water vapor and ozone measurements in Lhasa and Kunming during the Asian summer monsoon (Powerpoint Slides)
In-situ water vapor and ozone measurements in Lhasa and Kunming during the Asian summer monsoon
East-West Center, University of Hawai'i at Manoa (Honolulu, Hawai'i)
Asian summer monsoon (ASM) anticyclone circulation is recognized to be a significant transport pathway for water vapor and pollutants to enter the stratosphere. Observational evidence, however, is largely based on satellite retrievals. We report the first coincident in situ measurements of water vapor and ozone within the ASM anticyclone. The combined water vapor and ozone sondes were launched from Kunming in August 2009 and Lhasa in August 2010. We present the key characteristics of these measurements, and provide a comparison to similar measurements from Alajuela, Costa Rica, an equatorial location, during the Tropical Composition, Cloud and Climate Coupling (TC4) campaign in July and August 2007. Results show that the ASM anticyclone region has higher water vapor and lower ozone concentrations in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere than the TC4 observations. The results also show that the cold point tropopause in the ASM region has a higher average height and potential temperature. In situ observations therefore support satellite-based conclusions. The data also provide additional details on the vertical structure of the region in and around the anticyclone.
